We’re at some sort of 2010 halfway point, so NME‘s unleashed their annual 50 Best New Bands list. 2010′s crop includes a few bands that aren’t especially new to this year (Trash Talk, Zola Jesus, the Drums, the cat lovers at the top spot, etc.) along with a bunch who are/sort of are. My favorites of the top 50: Wild Nothing, Perfume Genius, jj, the aforementioned Trash Talk and Zola Jesus. You’ll recognize plenty of other familiar names. I’m sure you’ll also recognize gaps:
50 Everything Everything
49 Kindness
48 Clare Maguire
47 Funeral Party
46 Active Child
45 Magic Kids
44 Warpaint
43 Gayngs
42 Glasser
41 Avi Buffalo
40 Kisses
39 Wild Nothing
38 Delphic
37 Mona
36 Chapel Club
35 Frankie & The Heartstrings
34 Trash Talk
33 Perfume Genius
32 Veronica Falls
31 Jay Electronica
30 Wilder
29 MNDR
28 jj
27 Flats
26 Freelance Whales
25 James Blake
24 Pure Ecstasy
23 Foster The People
22 Cerebral Ballzy
21 DOM
20 Katy B
19 Mount Kimbie
18 Diamond Rings
17 The Middle East
16 Cults
15 Summer Camp
14 Hurts
13 Giggs
12 Zola Jesus
11 Egyptian Hip Hop
10 Grouplove
09 Yuck
08 Magnetic Man
07 Darwin Deez
06 Marina & The Diamonds
05 The Smith Westerns
04 Sleigh Bells
03 Wu Lyf
02 The Drums
01 Best Coast
If it’s context you want, head to NME. And hear a track from each right here:
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The Head and The Heart. Period.
ummm if jj is on here, wavves should be too… even thou they are 2009 i guess
warpaint should be MUCH higher up on the list
yeah, Warpaint kicks so much ass ^^
I hate this lo-fi bullshit that keeps getting popular for some unexplainable reason. It’s very bland and generic.
Woops…not in reference to Warpaint. Accidentally pressed reply here.
I’ve seen six or seven of those bands this year, including three of the top five, and none of them are even close to as good in a live setting as Free Energy. I’m assuming they’re still “new”.
I signed up just to agree with you! I saw Free Energy with Titus Andronicus and it was the best show of the summer. Free Energy is just so damn good live!
Seriously, FUCK Best Coast. Her songs are bland, boring weed anthems that are just trying to capitalize on the already completely played out lofi beachwave bullshit her boyfriend helped create.
Also Cults should be #1.
I was seriously about to post: Cults should be #1 and BestCoast is way overrated. Yeah!
Really? Villagers is not on the list. Ugh NME you should know better.
Agree, Villagers are my new fave band, and how dare NME miss them.
I’ve done a Spotify playlist of the ones that are available:
http://open.spotify.com/user/abbie2020/playlist/0TMPLXkcnMaT9Kg0jbyF81
i like your play list very much. thank you. you made my day.
It’s been awhile since I’ve read NME, but I am quite surprised that The Libertines did not end up on the list somehow.
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haha, hi54lofi! boo, allikator!
Sorry people have given you thumbs down, because your comment is probably the funniest of the year on sgum. Bastids.
They dont end up on the list because they aren’t a NEW Band. These are only Bands which have become “popular” in the first half of 2010. So why?
The Strokes should be topping this list like every other NME list out there.
It was actually just a little joke … but, I guess if someone had never read NME in the early to mid 2000′s it probably would miss the mark (hint: they really like The Libertines). Speaking of jokes, how is Local Natives not on there?
Wild Nothing has been a true revelation for me this year. They should have been on the top-5.
I’m just here to point out that “Cerebral Ballzy” is the worst name for a band ever, ever.
They also sound like a bunch of Jay Reatard cast-offs
they also suck really bad
ditto for that Japanther shit
What a shit list…
Warpaint’s EP came out over two years ago. The EP is good.
But, Suckers should definitely be on that list. Wild Nothing should be higher.
Freelance Whales has been one of my favorite albums of the year thus far. And I’m actually digging that Best Coast album. What’s with all the haters?
After reading this comment, I downloaded Freelance Whales, one of the worst musical decisions of my last few months. The banjo on the opening track was so promising, but then the singing started and I rushed to hit the skip button to see if it got better, it didn’t, I ended up on the floor in a pool of my own vomit. Needless to say, I give Freelance Whales two barfs up.
I have a Middle East album from 2006…If they’re new, why isn’t Tame Impala on this list. If I never hear about how great Best Coast is again, I will live a peaceful life.
do the drums get that high up cuz they have a fake british accent? i understand them being on this list but….. everything everything should be flipped with them.
Marina and the Diamonds? lol.
I don’t know if The Drums is the second best new band of 2010, but god damn, Let’s Go Surfing is catchy.
ugh
It is!
Can I just say Best Coast doesn’t even belong on this list?
yes, you can. so fucking overrated
yeah same here, i wanna wake up one day liking the band but i guess 2010 is the return of the best acts last decade new records everywhere!
yes they are fucking terrible
jj and Wild Nothing!
As most from the UK will know the NME is a utterly terrible magazine and nearly a laughing stock throughout England. They have championed stuff like 30 seconds to mars and Lost Prophets for years now and lost any respect they once had. All they do now is try to copy much more respectable sites and mags e.g. pitchfork, while still packing the mag with massive amounts of emo shit to appeal to the masses.
as bonk said,
the drums…number 2…are you fuckin kiddin
marina and the diamonds….terrible
best coast ..ok .. but not number 1 or even number 10 for that matter.
jj are ancient too
i hate calling bands over-rated but… yeah. best coast might be the most over-rated band of 2010. i like their album but i probably won’t be playing it consistently a year from now, let alone a month from now.
lets just say slow year for new bands great year for new albums
Ha i was listening to swinging party and realized its a mats song, cool that they still get love occasionally.
No Love for Janelle Monae
wondered ’bout that too. but i guess “bands” is the operative word.
James Blake is (deservedly) on the list, so solo acts were included. And Janelle Monae (possibly my favorite new artist this year) is not.
Seriously, I’m all for chillwave and a bit of electronica, but where the hell is the rock? The closest thing on this list is the Drums, which is probably why they’re ranked so high. Why hasn’t Stereogum and NME picked up on bands like Twin Berlin, the Static Jacks, or even the Films? They are all much much catchier than the bands displayed here, and actually have ability to play real instruments, unlike the absurd amount of electronica represented. Anyone with a mac can hum a catchy melody into garage band and put a beat behind it, but I like my music with a guitar or two…
Just like Pitchfork kinda did with Altered States, Stereogum should have a separate website for electronic-based music and concentrate more on real bands emerging. I’m not saying electronic music is bad, but this 80s comeback movement, while still better than most of the 80s itself, is getting kinda lame. Just my opinion, kids, and if you like my opinion, check out my blog where I report on all the new rock that this (and most) websites are missing. racecarspacecar.wordpress.com THANKS FOR READING! sorry for the shameless plug, but it went well with my thoughts…
Agreed, except I don’t think chillwave is/was respectable enough for Pitchfork to launch a sister site. Don’t get me wrong, Neon Indian was great and catchy, but most other chillwave acts are so fucking insincere. I don’t understand the idea of producing music for irony’s sake. I basically can’t wait for the day chillwave dies. And I really hope it happens soon.
No Tame Impala, Sufer Blood, Male Bonding, or Local Natives, this is a hoax. These bands should be topping this list, not to mention Avi Buffalo is 41, they should at least be in the top 20.
someone please tell me Local Natives are at 51. they not even making the list is a pure travesty. MNDR at 29? Best “overrated” Coast #1? please. the Drums are sic though
Local Natives are my favorite new band hands down. Gorilla Manor is one of my favorites of the year
I like Best Coast a lot, they’re the biggest grower for me. I would have like to see ceo and Tesla Boy on this list. Not many people know of Tesla Boy, check out their debut Modern Thrills, it’s very new wave/Duran Duran.
apache kid, bear hands, beat connection, the besnard lakes, the billionaires, blue hawaii, boogie boarder, bottle up & go, bye bye blackbird, clubfeet, computer magic, delorean, the feeling of love, gauntlet hair, grooms, heartless bastards, the hot toddies, letting up despite great faults, lightning dust, millionyoung, red wire black wire, tanlines, sunglasses, teen daze, tobacco, true widow, twin sister, the whiskers…….i love vancouver island!!!! best place in canada!!
Two Door Cinema Club is missing !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This list sucks as do a good majority of the acts. Can it get more boring than this? Half these bands are not new anyway. Some have been kicking around for a couple years if not longer now. And agreed with above reviewer, best coast are lame.
summer camp rulezzzzzz
Teengirl Fantasy has been snubbed.
I ought to throw bows at this list
What makes a band “new” for this list? The Drums have already been on the cover of NME and their debut LP was out this year, doesn’t that make them worthy of first place or something?
Agree with the dude above who said this is a “shit list” or have you guys forgotten about your “listzomania” (sp whatever) category?
I have to say that I like Best Coast but their best songs are not on this album. Is this overreaction a delayed reaction?
I am sooo happy cults made the list!! I’ve been listening to them since May and just hoppin and prayin that they would get some recognition and FINALLY i see their names somewhere else besides youtube and bandcamp!! :D
Man… band names are getting so terrible. Some of these are reasonable but come on… Cerebral Ballzy? Gayngs? Give me a break. At least Tennis and Com Truise weren’t on the list. Those are some of the worst band names I’ve ever heard…
Haha, “band names are getting so terrible”….Wavves, Nodzzz, Lovvers, Mayyors, Shout Out Out Out Out, Polka Dot Dot Dot, He! She! You! Me! They! We! Us! OK
Really? Please fuck me somebody.
wow that whole list is shit, checked out the best coast, they should be called worst coast. NME is deaf and dumb.
“checked out the best coast, they should be called worst coast”
made me laugh out loud
Nope, some of you guys are wrong. Best Coast is pretty good. NME may have missed the boat in that they’ve been around awhile and they may not be a unique band given some similarities to the Dum Dum Girls, et al, but they’re still pretty good. They made my summer soundtrack quite appeasing.
Grouplove are excellent. Can’t wait for them to hit the UK.
There are so many amazing bands missing from this list – Local Natives? Overall great list though
http://gsbeats.tumblr.com
Also just realized that both Suckers and Miniature Tigers are not on this list – seriously?
Miniature Tigers are soo great, but I don’t know how they could be described as new
I didn’t realize anybody outside of the Twin Cities cared about Gayngs. Good for them.
Best Coast are ok. They are nothing special though.
i agree, didn’t think much of them.
where is Fang Island?
Top Ten (from the NME list) in no particular order:
Perfume Genius
Wild Nothing
Magic Kids
Warpaint (so much better than 44th)
The Smith Westerns
Kisses (first album dropping the 11th!)
Avi Buffalo
Surfer Blood (debut album came out in January so why not them?)
Cults
Summer Camp
God, this is so much more happening than the Chillwave list from Stereogum – some good tunes that move – Thank you NME! Not sure if they are the TOP 50, but I’m hearing some good stuff!
No Tame Impala? Thats a joke. Really missed the ball on that one.
…MGMT, Two door cinema club, wolf people, Edward Sharpe, Black Keys?????
my b. some not new but still. list is shit.